OXFORD, OHIO – The University of North Dakota men's hockey team will return home to Grand Forks with a Penrose Cup and a date with the Colorado College Tigers next weekend in the NCHC Quarterfinals. However, UND will also return home with an unfamiliar feeling, a loss on Saturday night.

For the first time in nearly a year, North Dakota was handed a 6-3 defeat on a Saturday night by the Miami RedHawks in the regular season finale at Steve Cady Arena.

“It is definitely tough to take right now,” said UND sophomore forward Luke Johnson. “We came into the weekend hoping for two wins, but we also came in looking to get that one win for the Penrose Cup, so we have to go back making the most of what we got.”

After an emotional 2-1 win on Friday, UND knew that it was going to get all Miami could offer tonight as home-ice advantage was still on the line for the RedHawks. It was also senior night for Miami, hoping to honor its six seniors the same way UND honored theirs, with a win.

“I thought today we were alright,” said UND head coach Dave Hakstol. “Coming off a win last night and completing the push for the Penrose Cup, there's always a little bit of a risk for a lack of focus but I liked our business-like attitude today.”

Early on, UND was not the team that looked emotionally spent and struck first for the second-consecutive night.

Sophomore Luke Johnson scored his seventh goal of the season 9:31 into the game to give UND an early 1-0 lead.

Nick Schmaltz entered the zone and found Gage Ausmus with the drop pass, Ausmus then found Stephane Pattyn who no-look backhanded the pass to Johnson who finished off the tic-tac-toe goal for the green and white.

Miami found itself in the same situation it found itself in on Friday, down to the No. 1 team in the nation early in its own building; however, tonight they responded.

Senior forward Austin Czarnik scored his third goal of the season after Matthew Caito's shot took a weird hop off the boards and found Czarnik's stick as he beat the stick-less Zane McIntyre to even the game up for the RedHawks.

Entering the second period, UND was presented with an early opportunity to re-gain the lead as Cody Murphy took a slashing minor just 17 seconds into the second period.

However, it wasn't UND that took advantage of the opportunity.

After failing to clear the zone on a couple chances, Miami was all over UND with pressure. Sean Kuraly jumped on the puck and fired a shot wide of the net, but another weird bounce found the stick of Austin Czarnik who potted home his second of the night to give Miami its first lead of the weekend.

For a player with only two goals coming into the game, the puck was looking to find the senior captain's stick on senior night to help Miami take the 2-1 lead.

Just 37 seconds later, Miami struck again as another senior steps up big for the RedHawks. This time it was Blake Coleman who somehow muscled a puck past Zane McIntyre to double the Miami lead to 3-1 early in the second period.

The goal would head to a review, but referees Derek Shepherd and Tom Sterns upheld to call as Miami quickly grabbed a two-goal cushion.

Something that is rarely seen from this season's UND team is panic when trailing as the green and white continued to play its game hoping to climb back into the game.

UND was able to do just that as the puck hopped off a Miami defenseman's stick at the blue line and Luke Johnson sprung free on a breakaway. Johnson then sniped the glove-side of Ryan McKay to pull UND to within one of Miami.

The goal was Johnson's second of the game and eighth of the season, tying his season total last year.

After a game on Friday with only three combined goals scored, both teams saw five combined goals on the board with still 12 minutes left to play in the second period.

The momentum continued to turn towards UND as senior forward Blake Coleman saw his night come to an end early as he received a five minute major and game misconduct for checking from behind, putting UND on a power play for the remainder of the second period.

However, Miami's relentless pressure cost UND again on the power play. Austin Czarnik was able to get past the UND defense and finish off his first-career hat trick on the breakaway with his second shorthanded goal of the game. Paul LaDue also found himself in the penalty box on the play as he attempted to slow down Czarnik as UND's momentum was gone.

UND headed into the locker room after 40 minutes trailing 4-2 and wanting to forget that second period.

“It was just a couple of mental mistakes,” Johnson said on the period. “Whether it was the two shorthanded goals or just bad bounces, we will learn from that and just move on.”

Once again, North Dakota was presented with an opportunity to climb back into the game as Louie Belpedio was assessed a boarding minor late in the second period, giving UND a 5x3 power play opportunity in the starting moments of the third period.

After Nick Schmaltz circled the zone, he found his brother Jordan who sent a shot off the outside of the post and wide. However, the bounce finally went in favor of UND as it found the stick of Drake Caggiula in front of the net as he finished off the goal.

The goal was Caggiula's 16th of the season, pulling him even with injured-forward Mark MacMillan for the team's leader in goals.

Nick Schmaltz also picked up his second assist of the game for UND, giving his 21 on the season.

“Nick Schmaltz really stepped up and played well this weekend,” Hakstol said. “I thought his line overall played well tonight.”

Once again, UND found itself back within one of the RedHawks and had reclaimed the momentum with almost a full period to play. However, the momentum was short-lived.

Austin Czarnik won a faceoff back to junior forward Riley Barber who snapped a quick shot that found the back of the net just 1:12 after the Caggiula goal to give Miami its two-goal lead right back.

It was Barber's 17th goal of the season and Czarnik's fourth point of the night on his NCHC-leading 31st assist.

Miami capped off its win with an empty-net goal from Anthony Louis with only nine seconds remaining in the game to give the RedHawks a 6-3 win.

Despite the loss, UND head coach Dave Hakstol found many positives from tonight's game.

“I thought we saw some chemistry grow on the Poolman-Caggiula-Parks line,” Hakstol said. “The O'Donnell-Gaarder-Poganski line continues to do what they do, and we have some decisions to make going forward with our remaining line.”

With the regular season in the books, UND will now embark on its quest for a NCHC Tournament Championship next weekend as the No. 1 seed.

“Now we turn to a three-game series with against Colorado College, and that's where the focus goes right now.”

UND will open up the best of three series with the Tigers on Friday, March 13th at 7:37 p.m. at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Notes: Saturday's loss was the first for UND since a 3-2 OT loss to Colorado College in last season's NCHC Quarterfinals … UND finishes the regular season as one of the two teams in the NCHC to not get swept in a weekend series … The last time UND was swept in a 2-game road series was Nov. 4-5, 2011 at Minnesota … Nick Schmaltz left tonight's game with an injury and did not return … UND allowed its first even-strength goal tonight since Feb. 14 vs. Denver, a span of 336:43 of game time … Czarnik, Louis, and Coleman were named the three stars of the game.